New Area and companions...in American Fork!

So I know I have been slacking on my weekly emails lately.  I am going to be a lot better now, hopefully! I am going to try and sum up what has happened these last couple of weeks!

First off, thanks Charles and family for the package!! I loved it! Also the snacks, the bag, and CDs.  The CDs are seriously great, they have a nice variety of music, good job!

Well I had to say goodbye to Provo and it was super tough.  I really didn't think I was going to be transferred so it was a little bit of a shock but that is part of the mission.  We have to be transferred so that we can learn and grow.  Heavenly Father needs us in other places.  I got a letter from a good friend of mine recently who is serving in Puebla Mexico and one of the things he said was "If we are comfortable, that means we are no longer progressing.  The Lord will push, nudge, pull, and pry us out of our comfort zones time and time again.  He does NOT want us to be comfortable....but he does want us to be happy, and that requires a willing heart, and a mind ready to submit to all that he sees fit to give us".  It is so true, we learn and grow with change.  I was getting really comfortable in Provo so it was my time to go. 

Tuesday we went out to lunch one last time as a district.  It was bittersweet because we all have gotten really close this last transfer.  We have all learned a lot from each other.  The rest of the day I said goodbye to members, investigators, and less actives.  It was tough to say goodbye.  Saying goodbye to the a particular family was really bittersweet (they were the family that we were working with our zone leaders to get them transitioned)...I got to Provo just a few weeks before they got baptized.  I have seen their testimonies of the gospel grow so much.  They aren't transitioned to the other ward yet but I know they will be...they finally get it now.  They told me that the gospel has helped them so much as a family and that the church is the same wherever you go.  When they said that, that is when I knew I fulfilled my purpose with them.  Their son is turning 8 this month and his Dad will baptize him which will be way exciting! I am planning on going back to Provo to be there for that.

I definitely learned a lot of things serving in Provo.  I learned a lot about myself and who I want to be and become and I really learned how to love people.  The love you develop for people on the mission is seriously incredible.

That night I was finishing packing and while I was packing my companion, Hermana Smith put on the song One day More from Les mis to listen to.  That song applies so much to us as missionaries especially with transfers.  The part where it says "Tomorrow we'll discover what our God in Heaven has in store one more dawn, one more day ONE DAY MORE".  I got chills when I listened to the song because I knew that Heavenly Father had something in store for me...a new area and a new companion.

The next day was transfers.  President called my name and said that I was going to be in a trio with Hermana Figueroa and Hermana Holladay and that we would be serving in American Fork.  I was in complete shock that I was going to be in a trio.  We all gave each other a big hug.  Hermana Holladay

is from Pennsylvania and has been our a year now and Hermana Figueroa is from Mexico and she has also been out a year.  Hermana Figueroa mostly talks to me in Spanish which is great so I can get better with the language!  I have to say now that I have been in a trio for almost 2 weeks, it is definitely a blast, we have a ton of fun together and are able to get a lot of work done!

A little bit about my area.  We cover American Fork, Highland, and Alpine.  We cover 14 stakes which is crazy!! Our area is huge and because our area is huge we have a car.  I went from a walking/biking area covering just one stake to now a very big area.  I am going to be completely honest, being in a car again isn't very fun.  I got so used to walking/biking that I go crazy in a car now haha.  But I know I have to get used to it. 

This area is very different, there are not many hispanics so we have to rely on a lot of members and work really hard to find them. We cover a branch, it is really small.  My ward in Provo was huge.  It has defintely been different but the members here are really great and are very willing to help us.

We have a lot of great people we are teaching now, most of them are less actives but we are working on trying to find new people to teach.  We do have a baptism coming up in 2 weeks for a good brother.  His fiance is a member in the Spanish branch.  We taught him the first lesson and we felt super prompted to invite him to be baptized and we did for the 29th of this month.  He said he would, he knows already so much and is super ready.  We are very excited for him!

This week we also went to the temple.  So far on my mission I have only gone to the Provo temple, now that I am serving in American Fork I get to go to the Mt. Timpanogos temple.  It is so pretty, I love it!  I learned a lot from going to the temple this past week.  A lot of my prayers were answered to a lot of things. 

This area is very different from Provo but I know I need to be here and I know I will grow to love it here.  Next week I will hit my 9 month mark on the mission, I can't believe I have been out that long.  I have definitely learned so much these past 9 months.  The mission is seriously a blessing.  It changes you so much in such a good way. 

I am so excited for General Conference coming up, those weekends are seriously the best!

Thanks everyone for all the love, support, letters, packages, and everything.  I am so lucky to have such great friends and family! I love you all!

Love,
Hermana Veronica Garces